The Australian, who splits his time between Dubai and France when not on tour, has a few favourites in Melbourne he can’t wait to return to this month.
Australian tennis star Alexei Popyrin was born and raised in Sydney to Russian parents, relocated to Dubai with his family when he was eight to pursue his tennis career, and now splits his time between a home near Nice in the south of France and Dubai. But he still has strong family ties to Melbourne.
It’s makes for an interesting life — and restaurant favourites that span far further than the usual well-worn Melbourne and Sydney choices.
The 26-year-old, three-time ATP singles and one-time ATP doubles champ is a big fan of Italian food – and loves nothing more than a carbohydrate hit of pizza and pasta when back in Melbourne.
He took time out from his Australian Open preparation to share some of his favourites in his various home cities.
Eating Out
In Melbourne
I’ll always try to visit Pellegrini’s for a plate of pasta and a coffee.
I also love Asian food. I like to go to Chin Chin for the kingfish or barramundi. .
It’s always a stop at Rockpool Bar & Grill at Crown Melbourne – if I win a tournament that is where we will go for dinner with my team.
The night before a match I like to carb-load and eat pizza and pasta. I have been told to check out Tipo 00 while I’m back this January. I also love going to 400 Gradi at Crown with my family when back home in Australia. My sister still lives in Melbourne with her family and their two children. It’s shared pizza, pasta and meat dishes here. I often stay at Crown Melbourne when I am competing, too.
My favourite Melbourne cafe
I like to go to Black Gold cafe in Richmond. They make a great iced latte and are known for their toasties. I love brunch, and when my fiancee and I dine out, I’ll order eggs benedict, pancakes and French toast.
In Dubai
My favourite food city is Dubai, a city I feel very comfortable in. We always head to Atlantis The Royal for a luxury dining experience. You have everything you need here, from great restaurants like Nobu for seafood, Ariana’s Persian Kitchen and Seafire Steakhouse for premium quality meat dishes.
Carbone restaurant is a great Italian diner that has just opened within the hotel – they serve Italian-American classics like lobster ravioli, double lamb chops with Italian sausages and a wagyu tomahawk with rosemary oil.
Mimi Kakushi in Dubai makes great sushi and Kinugawa Dubai also serve great steak after training, and 11 Woodfire is another pitstop for an open-fire cooking experience
When I am in Dubai, it’s Bussola, a great Italian restaurant where I always order a pepperoni pizza or a plate of spaghetti carbonara. When I am watching my diet before a game, I’ll opt for bolognese sauce on pasta instead.
I love to go to Bota for brunch. I always order the eggs benedict followed by something sweet like pancakes and an iced latte.
In France
I love the small French town of Valbonne. You’ll find all cuisines here – from Moroccan to Indian and French. I recommend Le Gastro de Sa Vie and Le Bistrot de Sa Vie, and try La Pigeot for the tagines and couscous and Le Kashmir for Indian – I always order chicken korma.
Eating In
Signature dish and go-to at home
I like to make an oven-baked dish of lamb chops with zucchini and tomato, and then add feta cheese and tzatziki with some honey sauce on top. It cooks in 35 minutes and hits the spot. I also like to cook a steak on the barbecue.
My guilty pleasure
I don’t get to enjoy many sweets when I am playing tennis, but when I do, it’s either a crumble or custard of any kind, or a warm chocolate brownie with vanilla ice-cream on the side.
The kitchen wisdom I cling to
Clean as you go. I think you can’t go wrong if you do this, as my fiancee Amy tells me!
The Australian Open runs from January 12 – February 1 in Melbourne.
Tickets and info
Jane Rocca is a regular contributor to Sunday Life Magazine, Executive Style, The Age EG, columnist and features writer at Domain Review, Domain Living’s Personal Space page. She is a published author of four books.Connect via Twitter or email.
